Sources – Colts bench Anthony Richardson, contact Joe Flacco

The Indianapolis Colts are benching Anthony Richardson and moving to Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.

The Colts' coaches met Tuesday morning and ultimately decided to switch quarterbacks, sources told Fowler and Schefter, choosing Flacco over the struggling Richardson.

The benching came two days after Richardson asked to miss a game Sunday against the Houston Texans because, he later told reporters, he was “tired.”

Colts coach Shane Steichen said Monday that he was evaluating the team's quarterback situation, adding that Richardson's request to leave the game would not play a role in his decision.

Internally, the Colts maintain that Richardson's time as franchise quarterback is not yet over.

A team source called the bench move a “growth opportunity” and also insisted that the Colts “won't abandon Anthony.”

“That will be the story, but that’s not the case,” the source told ESPN.

Even in his second year with the Colts, Richardson remained the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL at 22 years old. He was drafted before his 21st birthday and after just 13 starts at the University of Florida.

The Colts had insisted that Richardson needed to play to develop as a player, which led them to the decision to draft him as a rookie. After just one preseason game, he was named the starter ahead of Gardner Minshew in the 2023 training camp.

The move to bench Richardson therefore represents a significant departure from the organization's previous mindset.

“Taking a step back can be a good thing,” the team source said.

A source close to Richardson said the news hit him hard. However, this source also stated that Richardson will carry out the demotion professionally and will be ready if asked.

Richardson completed just 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards in Sunday's loss at Houston. He told Steichen he “needed a break right there” as he left the game in the third quarter and tapped his helmet.

Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft, has a 44.4% completion rate this season, which is the fifth-worst in the first six games of a season by a player since 2000, according to ESPN Research.

Steichen did not defend Richardson's decision to leave the game. He said Monday that he had a private conversation with the second-year quarterback, adding, “You can't take yourself out of it, and it's a learned experience for him to grow from.”

The Colts are bringing in Ryan Kelly, the longest-tenured player on the current roster, and said Richardson “knows it's not the standard he has to live up to and the rest of the team is demanding of him.”

The Colts (4-4) will now turn to the 39-year-old Flacco, who replaced the injured Richardson earlier this season and rushed for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in parts of three games.

Richardson is the second quarterback selected in the first round of last year's draft to be benched this season. The Carolina Panthers drafted No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young last month for veteran Andy Dalton.